How to activate a betting sponsor in a brand-safe way

Betting brands are among the biggest sponsors in sport. They are also among the most watched. Regulators, clubs, parents and the press all look at what a betting sponsor does with its rights. One careless post can cost the brand a fine, the club a headline and the fans their trust.

The good news: brand-safe does not mean boring. The best betting activations work because they talk about the sport, not the bet. Here are seven rules we use when we plan sponsorship activation for a betting brand.

This is a practical guide, not legal advice. Rules change often. Check them with a lawyer in each market before you launch.

1. Know the rules in every market you show up in

A deal with one club can reach fans in dozens of countries, and each country has its own rules. Three examples from Europe:

• UK. Since the start of the 2026-27 season, Premier League clubs no longer carry gambling sponsors on the front of their matchday shirts. Clubs agreed the change in 2023; sleeves and pitchside boards are still allowed.

• Spain. Royal Decree 958/2020 bans betting sponsorship on shirts and kits and in the names of teams, stadiums and competitions. In April 2024 the Supreme Court annulled several of its articles, including the ban on famous people in gambling ads and some limits on social media. The shirt and naming rules were not among them.

• Italy. The 2018 Dignity Decree bans gambling advertising and sponsorship altogether. Its repeal has been discussed, but the ban is still in force.

So before any idea, map the markets. Where will this content be seen, and whose rules apply there? A spot made for one country can break the rules in the next one the moment the club posts it.

2. Keep it away from under-18s

This is the line that matters most, everywhere. In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority has applied a strong appeal rule since 1 October 2022: a gambling ad must not be likely to appeal strongly to under-18s, whoever it is aimed at.

In sport, that reaches further than the ad itself. The UK Gambling Commission says sponsorship counts as advertising. Its guidance asks that betting logos stay off merchandise made for children, such as replica shirts in children's sizes, and out of the junior sections of club websites.

In practice:

• No betting brand on youth kits, academy content or children's merchandise.

• No cartoon styles, games or trends that are popular with teenagers.

• Age-gate digital content and target 18+ audiences only.

3. Choose talent carefully

Players sell. That is also the risk. In the UK, the ASA treats well-known current top-flight footballers as high risk for gambling ads, because so many of their fans are under 18. Retired players and pundits are usually a safer choice, judged case by case.

Ask two questions about any face in a betting campaign. Who follows this person? And would a parent be comfortable seeing them sell a bet to their child? If the answer to the second one is no, pick someone else.

4. Sell the sport, not the odds

The weakest betting ads are about the bet: the boosted price, the bonus, the quick win. They are also the ones regulators look at hardest. The strongest are about what fans feel: the club, the rivalry, the moment before kick-off.

Build the idea around the fan experience. Behind-the-scenes access, matchday traditions, stories from the stands. The brand earns its place by giving fans something, not by asking them to stake something.

And never suggest that betting brings success, money, status or a better life. That message is out of bounds in most markets, and fans see through it anyway.

5. Put safer gambling inside the work

Safer gambling messages are often a line of small print at the end. They work better when they are part of the work: clear, visible and in the same tone as the rest of the campaign.

Some limits come from the industry itself. In the UK, operators agreed a whistle-to-whistle ban on TV betting ads, from five minutes before a live match until five minutes after it ends, before the watershed. Respect the spirit of rules like this on social media too: live moments are when fans are most emotional.

6. Respect the club's fans

Not every supporter is happy to see a betting brand on their club. A brand-safe activation knows that. It does not force the brand into every post, and it does not use the club's badge or players to push offers.

Agree with the club, early, where the brand can and cannot appear. Which channels, which formats, which teams (the women's team, the academy and charity work usually need a different approach), which moments.

7. Build approval into the plan

Betting activations need more sign-offs than most: the brand's compliance team, the club, sometimes the league. Plan for it. Give every piece of content a checklist and a named person who approves it. Leave time in the calendar, so nobody rushes a post out on matchday without review.

A quick checklist

• Markets mapped, with the rules for each one checked by a lawyer.

• No under-18 appeal: talent, style, channels and audiences.

• No branding on youth teams, academy content or children's products.

• The idea is about the sport and the fans, not the odds.

• No link between betting and success, money or status.

• Safer gambling messaging is clear and visible.

• Brand placement agreed with the club, channel by channel.

• Approval process and owners set before launch.

Where we have done it

We created Winning Big for MSport, a betting brand that sponsors Chelsea FC and Borussia Dortmund in Africa. One spot for TV and social, mainly in Nigeria and Ghana, that works for each club on its own or for both together. The story is about football and the fan's dream of the European game.

Signed a betting sponsorship and want it to work without the risk? See how we activate sponsorships.